Electroscan Team Profile – Adam Michalas
What’s your role in Electroscan?
I am a Quality Level A Verification expert and trainee Utility Locator.
What do you do at Electroscan?
I was brought into Electroscan to bring my expertise in Potholing and VAC trucks to the business.
On top of this, I am also training to become a utility locator, so Electroscan has a more well-rounded skillset across the team, and we can provide a complete set of services to each of our clients.
How long have you been in the industry?
I’ve been working in the industry for 11 years. Before I was at Electroscan, I worked as the Operations Manager at a Vacuum Excavation Business.
What does a day typical day look like for you?
A typical day for me starts with ensuring our Vacuum Excavation Units and reinstatement tippers are appropriately equipped to perform for each client we are servicing. Safety and reliability are a key focus within Electroscan, so we make sure to conduct these checks at the start of each day.
Once we arrive on-site, I work closely with our clients to confirm the scope of work to guarantee the Electroscan team delivers to satisfy client needs. Once the work is completed, we reinstate the ground to the original condition, clean the area and dispose of the waste safely at a licenced facility.
What projects have you lead?
- Logistical Operations Telstra/NBN FTTN project throughout QLD
- Field Operations Vulture St Bikeway BCC underground service investigations
What is a common question you get from customers?
A common question I get asked is, “Can you just put the material back in the hole?”.
Although reinstating a site can appear like a simple job, maintaining site conditions after conducting a vacuum excavation is complex. We need to introduce water into the site each time we do Vacuum excavation, turning the site material to a “milkshake-like” consistency. This material is classified as “waste material” and cannot be reused at the site. Instead, the waste material needs to be safely and legally disposed of at a licensed facility.
Following this, to properly reinstate a site, fresh material needs to be used to ensure the ground returns to its original condition before the building process can continue.
Most interesting project you’ve worked on.
Working on the Sydney Light Rail and Vulture Street Bikeway project were standouts. Each of these projects had the added dimension of working with a heritage protected site, adding an additional layer of complexity. We needed to ensure we had a practical conservation management approach on top of the processes we typically implement when working with other utilities.
Underneath the Sydney Light Rail, we had to operate with the buried tram tracks and handmade stormwater pipes. By working closely with government bodies and the building team, we took care to keep the site in historical conditions while effectively delivering our project within budget despite the project’s complexity.
